‘The 100′ Season 4 Finale: What Happens Now?

The 100 Season 4 was a contest between the survival of humanity versus the coming radiation Death Wave. In the finale, “Praimfaya” arrived to change the Earth forever, yet humanity can claim victory, because despite conflict and technological challenges, the human race wasn’t annihilated. Its chance of continued existence though remains a mystery, as Clarke and another Nightblood, Madi, are the only known survivors six years and seven days after the second wave of Praimfaya hit Earth.

The final moments of the The 100 Season 4 finale established a new beginning going into Season 5, yet the theme is very reminiscent of the show’s initial premise in the pilot of prisoners from space landing on Earth. The story initially was told through the eyes of the delinquents from space, but now these people are the grounders whose home and life is threatened by the arrival of these new prisoners from the sky.

Image via The CW

With only a limited area of Earth that’s green and inhabitable, conflict is inevitable with these new invaders walking off Eligius Corporation’s Gagarin Prisoner Transport. It certainly won’t be a retelling of The 100 Season 1, though, as Clarke and Madi are alone at this point, but are well-armed and have technological capabilities that the original Grounders didn’t have.

Meanwhile, there are at least two other isolated enclaves of humanity which have developed over the past six-plus years. What’s happened in the bunker, and on the ring? The lack of communication between Clarke, the bunker and the ring creates an intriguing opportunity for surprises, and anticipation for reunions next season.

The relationships and loyalties that were developed over the first four seasons of The 100 will be forever changed by the separation. New relationships, familial connections and even likely divides will be presented in each of the three new communities.

In the finale, Clarke’s world was revealed to be much different. It was touching to see that despite years of separation, Bellamy continued to be a presence in her life even if only in her mind. To make a Lostreference, Bellamy was Clarke’s “constant” of sorts. While she didn’t travel through time and he wasn’t her lover, her daily conversations on the radio with him kept her sane and gave her hope that she would be reunited with him and her people. Their bond has been strong throughout their months on the ground, but will it continue when they are reunited or will new relationships take priority?

For Clarke, Madi is now her life. In the brief interactions we saw in the finale, Clarke has a strong bond with the young Nightblood and is the girl’s guardian, protector and perhaps even mother now. Being the last two people in the greenlands of Earth provides a connection deeper than any other.

Image via The CW

Human nature is a strong force, and people are drawn towards each other for love, connection and comfort. With seven people on the ring, it will be intriguing to find out how those characters have grown to depend on each other and what connections have been made. Will the two couples propelled into space have relationships that thrived, or will they have withered out or become destructive? Perhaps, even a baby has been born!

The biggest question will be: Did Bellamy end up in a relationship with either Raven or Echo? Assuming the other two pairings remain committed to each other, it would seem likely that one of these couplings would happen. Life should move on. The sad part is that one person would be left single and alone in this case.

In the final moments on the ring, Bellamy and Raven bonded as the new co-leaders of the group on the ring. They have been close in the past and she’s someone who could fill the void left by Clarke’s “death” and help Bellamy fulfill Clarke’s wish for him that he learn to use his head and his heart.

At the same time, Bellamy and Echo have a connection despite mistrust and betrayal between them. Their relationship mirrors that of Clarke and Lexa in many ways. They have saved each others’ lives at times, but also have made decisions to protect their own people at the cost of the other person. Yes, Echo killed Bellamy’s girlfriend, but Lexa also caused Finn’s death, and somehow Clarke was able to overlook that to fall in love with the Commander.

Either pairing would work for different reasons. Though, it’s just as likely that neither romantic relationship will develop, and instead the Ringkru will become a family together of another sort. That’s of course assuming that they remain alone on the ring. With the introduction of Eligius Corporation in space, maybe they end up interacting with other humans in those six years.

Image via The CW

In the bunker, the challenges will be greater due to the overwhelming number of people and the integration of 12 different clans into Wonkru. Octavia has her work cut out for her as the new Commander. Even though she doesn’t have Bellamy by her side to help her, perhaps she has someone even better in Indra. The two of them will be a force to be reckoned with.

Regardless of how relationships developed on the ring or in the bunker, their reunions will be fraught with complications, new loyalties and surprises. Will Wonkru, Ringkru and the lone survivors be able to come together and protect themselves against the new invaders? Or will there be unexpected alliances?

Anything is possible with this time jump. Could Eligius Corporation and the survivors on the ring be working together? Just the possibility that it could happen is what makes the story’s reset exciting. It will be a long wait for The 100 Season 5. Let the speculation of what’s coming next continue!

What do you hope happened during the six years and seven days? What do you want to see happen after the time jump? Are you intrigued by a retelling of the invader theme from a new point of view? Share your thoughts and hopes in the comments! (And be sure to check out a full list of questions we have after the finale here).

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